Welcome to your Second Life
by RionAgrias
Summary: One person trying to escape reality finds friendship, romance, and coffee in an alternate reality with those who are closer to him than he thinks. Of course, it is never that simple in an interactive MMO. T-rated... well it should stay T. No Persona-usage, but lots of Persona characters.


_**Chapter 1- Welcome to your Second Life**_

Persona… I don't own it. If I did own Persona… I would probably end up doing something by accident that would bring Atlus fans to attack me with pitchforks.

The only thing canon should be used for is blowing things up, and I know it's 'canon', not cannon. True 'Canon' has no place in my stories and if you want something exactly 100% by the numbers… you are looking at the wrong story.

'Yu' hates my spell check; it turns it into 'you', so I hate typing it. There are a lot of others I should be explaining… like usage of certain honorifics, or if I should use family names before given names (I'm not one to do that normally). You will figure it out as you see it. Is Nanako supposed to be seven? Well… I hate making her seven, considering the way she handles her problems are not like seven-year-olds. She does not act seven, so why make her seven?

The MC's names will get less confusing after the first chapter, I promise.

P.S. One last thing… flame me and well… yeah.

_Thoughts_

**Second World commands**

_**Locations or Statements from MC in the AIU before setup**_

* * *

_**2**__**nd**__** Floor of the Dojima Residence- May 28th: Evening **_

A silver-haired second-year of Yasogami High, who used the name Souji in his everyday life, gripped the plastic bag in his right hand and made his way from the stairwell to his room on the right side of the home he was staying at temporarily. As he opened the door, he walked through the doorway and past shelves that were loaded with models and dolls from popular games. He maneuvered past a small table that was cluttered with folded envelopes and a dictionary; the envelopes and the dictionary were what allowed him to purchase what was in the bag. A half-read book about a weak-willed teacher was lying on his navy blue couch as the second-year as he loosened his grip on his bag and set it down next to desk. Reaching into the bag, he pulled out one of the two newly-bought products and set it next to his recently purchased computer.

The young man pulled off his black spring school jacket before sitting down in his chair. He opened up one of his two disc drives and with the product that he removed from the bag; placed the disc from the product into the drive. As the product loaded itself onto the C drive of the computer, the boy stretched out his arms and stood up.

He knew the process of loading the purchase was going to take some time, so the young man moved from his desk to his futon where he sat down and reached his right hand beneath all covers. What came from out of the bottom of his futon was a magazine of questionable material. The young man was glad his younger cousin could not see what he was looking at as he turned the pages with more excitement than usual.

He found most of the females at school plain and boring, so it was for that reason the young man turned the pages quickly. He was also bored of the magazine, having read it so many times. He turned the pages quickly because he wanted something to do. He wanted something to do… something like what was loading on his computer right now.

_I should really buy a new magazine while I am at it… though I doubt that run-down bookstore has any. I should have gotten one at Junes._

The boy put away his magazine after only a minute or so. He looked back at the computer and sat back down to reach back into the bag to pull out the second item he had purchased at Junes today. The item pulled out was a strange-looking visor made of metal that extended through the ears and well past the nose. The visor was labeled AIU. The AIU also had a long USB connector hanging down.

The young man moved to connect the USB to the computer, but he was interrupted by someone knocking on his door.

"Big bro?" a young female voice rang out inquisitively.

The young man turned his head, "Yes…?"

"Did you go to Junes?" she asked.

Even though he could not see the person beyond the door, he unconsciously nodded before he said, "I picked up some stuff on sale for dinner. I put it in the fridge."

The girl's voice seemed a little more cheerful as she responded, "Thanks! I'll call you when it's ready!"

The boy waited a second before he said, "Actually… I'm unsure when I'll be down for dinner. Go ahead and eat without me!"

The young female responded, "Alright… big bro!" her voice had taken on a slightly saddened tone. She steadied her voice as she continued, "I'll keep a plate out for you and dad when he comes home!"

"Thanks…" the silver-haired young man said quietly.

_My cousin is so nice, but this is more important. If I don't start this now…"_

The young man wanted to lift his hand to brush back his bowl-cut length silver hair, but it was too short. It was not long enough, and not really thick enough for him to run his right hand into the top of his scalp and push back.

He wanted to move on with his purchase; he wanted to alleviate his boredom. He wanted to escape from the realities that were set upon him.

The young man had, for what seemed like the millionth time, been left to one of his relatives due to one of his parent's business. Sometimes it was actual work; sometimes… it was for more personal business that the young man was shuttled to one of his family's relatives. He was sick of it all. He did not necessarily dislike his relatives; his cousin was extremely caring. It was just that his uncle could not care for her because of work that made it insufferable. The young man could not take on two sets of problems, his and hers all the time.

The boy who used the name Souji sighed, but quickly drew in the expelled air as he lowered his arm and plugged in the equipment's USB cable for a quick charge and to make connection between products and the visor. The wait for a solid connection between the visor and computer made the boy take a good look at the device that was being attached to the computer.

The visor was made for total immersion in all programs that could utilize neural functions to replicate body movements. It had its uses in medicine, but that was not its main use. The visor, named the Alter Immersion Unit, was mainly used for games. Games played with the AIU no longer needed a handheld controller because the brain did all of the work. With most of the games used with the AIU, the visor could either become see-through if the player wanted to play with it on the screen, or the game would play on the visor itself.

However, with the game that just finished loading on his screen only a few minutes ago; he would never need a disc, or even a microphone.

_This is my first game that needs the AIU. I don't even play a lot of games. The AIU is supposed to charge extremely quickly and then not need recharging for days worth of playing._

The young man tapped his foot impatiently, waiting for the charge to finish. He lifted his arms behind his head to stretch before he tried to reach back for the magazine he had finished. He failed…

_Damn… One more inch and I would have tipped over the chair._

The man who called himself Souji pursed his lips as he waited there, beginning to regret holding off on heading down to dinner with his younger cousin. He was about to go down and ask to have dinner with his cousin if he had not heard a sound announcing the AIU's half-charge signal.

_Half-charge should be fine for a few hours. It's not like I'm going to play for twenty hours straight… Maybe once I hit summer vacation_

The silver-haired young man, ignoring half of the emptiness in the charge, disconnected the USB cable and then disconnected the cable from the AIU itself. He backed away from the couch and took a seat on the blue couch. As he took the AIU in both of his hands, flipped a switch on the side and placed the device over his head. It moved past his ears and nose; he closed his eyes to focus his mind. His mind seemed to shut down for just a moment and reality appeared to disappear into white.

**Welcome to… Second Life**

**Please create your character.**

_Second Life… This time… I get to create myself._

**Second Life**… it is an interactive game where people could create a new self, you can live in a new world, and experience things that a person would never try in a normal world. It was like the internet except much more interactive. The AIU made it possible for a person to do anything in this alternate world with only the mind, and it opened a realm of both exciting and sometimes perverse possibilities for a person.

**What is your name?**

_I will not use my real name, obviously…_

The boy that went by the name Souji decided that if he was going to use any sort of a name then he should use something that related to his father to whom he had even less contact with than his mother because very few people knew about his connection with his real father. His real father… was no longer his father due to the fact that the man had divorced his mother when he was younger. The man who sired the silver-haired boy gave him his grandfather's name. The second-year who called himself Souji hated being connected to his father's lineage, even if his stepfather was little better when it came to taking care of him. No one in Japan besides his relatives knew his name was actually Yu Narukami. It was for that reason that the silver-haired boy used his mother's maiden family name and chose his own given name for everyday use.

_What better name to hide my own than to use part of my real one? _

**Name: **_**Kami**_

_It's part of my real last name. The only people who would know it's me would be my family and no one besides me will play it._

**Create your ****Second Life**** Character's Body Characteristics**

_No silver hair, no bowl cut, no glasses… maybe I should have something where I can put my hands in my pockets?_

**Eye Color: **_**Blue**_

**Hair Color: **_**Navy Blue**_

**Hair Style: **_**Short with a slightly lengthened bang on the left**_

**Voice: **_**Disinterested Casanova**_

_A voice that sounds nice and disinterested unless I'm killing things or… kissing girls. Perfect…_

**Physicality: **_**Thin and Medium Height**_

_I'm not sure what to put for my body characteristics. I guess I will just give myself one of those normal faces._

After he put down some general characteristics for his face, **Second World** had another statement for him.

**To determine your starting weapon class your character will be skilled in, please answer a few questions. If you are unhappy with the results, you can switch classes.**

_Weapons? I guess I forgot there is a dungeon and fighting in this game._

The boy who went by Souji waited for the questions to decide his weapon class.

**If you and your girlfriend/boyfriend were in grave danger and only one of you could survive, would you sacrifice yourself to save your beloved?**

**Yes? No?**

_Seriously? _

_**Yes**_

**You find yourself isolated in an inhabitable environment with a shortage of food and lack of shelter. What is your first act in order to survive?**

**Make a desperate call for help? Attempt to create shelter? Forage for food? Kill yourself?**

_Hell… I don't know…_

_**Make a smoke signal or something…**_

The questions continued and he answered the subjective inquiries in whatever he thought would be best. After about fifteen to twenty questions, he finally received an answer.

**Your beginning weapon class is a one-handed and two-handed sword, slashing only, and sans shield.**

_I prefer two-handed weapons… I want to take a baseball bat and hit someone over the head with it. Oh well…_

**To build up abilities for various attributes and skills, use points from gained levels. **

_Are we blacksmiths and potion-makers? No… I think the guide said it's realistic and has things like being a chemist and mixing chemicals and stuff. _

**Use commands to create parties and guilds…**

_Guilds? That sounds like a regular MMO… I'd rather just have fun with others._

**Second Life**** is active twenty-four hours a day. Please take this opportunity to meet others from all over the world and fulfill your desires.**

_I would hope so it's always available, though meeting people from all over the world sounds pretty nice._

The list being sent to his brain seemed to be endless and it was beginning to overwhelm his. It was not until the last message did his mind snap back into the present.

**Report any criminal actions, including player killers, to the Game Master.**

_Seriously? There are player killers in this game? That sucks… I mean… people are coming here to live a new life… and they come here to become a murderer. What dicks…_

**Your starting area is Port Tatsumi Island.**

_Port what…?_

The boy's thoughts were interrupted by one last and important message.

**Now Kami… Welcome… to ****Second Life****!**

* * *

The white light faded from his eyes, from Kami's eyes. The boy who called himself Souji was now the young man Kami, at least in **Second Life**. As he started to look around, he first noticed that it was evening in **Second Life**, just like in reality. As Kami turned his head, the next thing he noticed was that it looked like he was in a mall-like area. The illuminated area was a great contrast compared to the evening sky above. Three fountains, the largest being in the center, seemed to be the focal points of the mall. Above Kami's head, in a spot apparently only he could see… was the location.

_**Paulownia Mall**_

_Paulownia Mall, huh? This place is large… What exactly do people do here?_

He moved to look down to the center fountain with only his mind. It was the first time the second-year could see his new body for the first time. He ran his right hand through his blue hair and tried to take it all in. He could see his new clothes; he was wearing what looked like navy pants and a blue blazer.

_It's all real… I really am a new person. I do need to get new clothes though. I look like I am going to school._

"Hey… where are we planning to go for our group date again?" a male voice asked.

"I already told you yesterday Chagall Café," a second male voice said

It was only then that Kami noticed the twenty-five or so other people around him. It surprised him that the ethnicity of the people milling around him was so varied. The boys… the girls… Kami had no idea where to start looking. It was not just the people… there seemed to be so many things in the mall area that Kami was confounded on where to go first. It was only then that he started paying attention to the amount of pretty girls milling around.

_There are a lot of pretty girls… damn…_

Kami shook his head at the whole thing and turned around. He started to slowly move towards a colorful alcove with what appeared to be a crane game when he was tapped on the shoulder from behind. He turned back around to see a tall young man with short brown hair and a purple baseball cap turned backwards. The young man was wearing navy pants and a blue blazer like a school uniform.

"Hey!" the new boy said as Kami finished turning around. "Are you new here?"

"How did you know?" Kami responded.

The new boy answered, "Your movements are still kind of rigid."

"Rigid…?" Kami raised an eyebrow.

The new boy nodded, "You don't look used to the AIU… at least to **Second Life**."

"Well… okay…," Kami said. He followed up by asking, "Do you have a name?"

The new boy looked slightly embarrassed as he said, "Oh… my name… at least here… it's J Prince. You can call me J though." The young man with the baseball cap's voice steadied as he asked, "Hey… you didn't tell me your name…"

"It's Kami…," The blue-haired young man responded.

"Nice to meet you Kami…," J held out his hand. Kami tentatively reached out and shook it. It was less him being tentative, and more him struggling to get used to the AIU.

Kami decided to bring up something that was bugging him, "Hey… you have to be pretty new too. You're wearing the default clothing."

J lifted his hands about his head and gestured, "This MMO-like game… this location here… it has the same weather as Japan. Do you see a lot of people in summer clothes?" He bit his lip, "Well… maybe I have not played long enough to buy a plethora of clothes."

"I guess it is not set in Kagoshima then…," Kami shrugged.

J Prince nodded and then asked, "So… were you really planning on heading to the arcade?"

_The arcade… I don't know…_

When Kami shrugged, J responded, "I'll show you around."

"Thanks…," The blue-haired young man responded, following J as he moved towards the arcade.

"They showcase different games each day, but it's kind of funny… playing games in a game," J said as the pair looked at the arcade.

As they stood in front of the arcade they were passed by two more teenage boys who were talking. The younger one had blond hair while the older one had brown hair.

The younger blond-haired boy said, "I'm going to break the high score on the Mole Whackers game today."

"Not likely…," the other boy responded. "I heard the guy who set the high score nearly broke the machine doing so."

"What do you mean, "he nearly broke the machine?"" the blond-haired boy asked.

"He was hitting the machine so hard each time he made contact the machine was smoking, not to mention that the score was so high," the older boy explained.

J shook his head while the other two boys were talking. He said to Kami, "I guess someone set an insanely high score." He shrugged, "Let's move on with the tour."

Kami followed J until they stopped in front of a medical-looking area. J said, "This is the pharmacy, though… it's not really a normal pharmacy."

"Like… they don't have stuff you would find in a pharmacy?" Kami asked. J nodded.

_People don't get hemorrhoids in this game, do they? _

Right after, a disappointed boy with a weird mix of white and black hair that flared upwards walked out. He looked about the same age as Kami and was wearing all blue clothes. He muttered, "All sorts of weird medicines, poison cures, dog foods… but no protection? What kind of shitty pharmacy is this?"

Kami withheld a chuckle as he said, "Protection?"

J smirked, "I guess you really can release your inhibitions in here…"

_Only in Second Life, I guess._

J and Kami moved on with the tour without discussing the pharmacy in more detail after what was said by the blue-clothed boy. They moved a bit to the left to a string of shops along the back of Paulownia Mall. To the far right was a shady-looking shop that was illuminated, but just barely. In the middle was a brightly-colored shop on the second floor. Past that was apparently a police station.

As Kami passed the shady store, J said to him, "That's the store that modifies weaponry."

"It looks rather shady…," Kami responded.

"Well… the NPC who runs it is kinda…," J explained.

"Shady…?" the now blue-haired young man stated.

_A shady blacksmith…_

J nodded again and motioned for the two of them to keep walking.

J walked a little ahead of him as he pointed up at the second floor store and said, "This is actually a karaoke…"

"Okay…," Kami smiled. He asked, "Take any girls there?"

_Playing a game and sing at a karaoke within the game… crazy…_

"I haven't been playing that long!" J pretended to be offended.

"Of course…," Kami rolled his eyes. He looked away from the karaoke and asked, "Is there really a need for a police station?"

"Actually… that's not only a police station…," J said. "It's a place where you buy weapons and certain clothes."

_The hell?_

"They sell weapons and clothes in a police station?" Kami looked kind of confused.

"Umm… don't ask me why they decided to do that," J said, adjusting his cap. He continued, "I know that they house criminals in there also. If you commit crimes your character is thrown in there and you are unable to do anything until your sentence is up."

_PKers would spend forever in the slammer… if they don't kill everyone who tries to arrest them._

Kami looked past the police station that sold weapons and saw a café. As he walked up to the glass, he saw multiple tables of mainly couples being served by female NPCs of varying cuteness and low-cut uniforms. The smell of coffee wafted into the blue-haired boy's nose; it was intoxicating and made him want to enter the little alcove building.

_This appears to be the Café Chagall that those two guys were talking about…_

J moved near the glass and said, "Every time I walk past the café I feel like going in for some coffee. I just wish the NPCs were more interactive."

"Figures…," Kami shook his head while smirking at his inner thoughts of J's perversion.

"It's also because there is that slight chance that there are guys who are pretending as girls in **Second Life**," J said, his voice less enthusiastic than earlier.

"Those kinds of people are kind of sick…," Kami muttered, "There might even be girls in **Second Life** who chose to be a boy in the game."

J put up his hands, "Whoa… I'm a guy… I promise."

Kami nodded, "Me too…" He decided to change the topic, "Is there anything else interesting in the mall?"

The baseball cap-wearing boy looked past the café, pointed to a multi-colored building with double doors that was blaring music and said, "If you think the café is nice. Look at that…"

"Is that a club?" Kami asked, looking over at where J had pointed.

"It's called Club Escapade…," J Prince said. "It's the place to meet people."

_Interesting…_

"It's even crazier on the inside. It's got a dance floor with a DJ/live music area and a second floor lounge area," J continued. "I was actually thinking of going there before I met you…"

Kami bit his tongue and said softly, "I apologize if I ruined your plans by forcing you to give me a tour."

J shook his head, "No, no… I decided to help you out, so don't worry about it." He smiled, "We'll head there and pick up some girls sometime."

"Sounds good to me…," Kami nodded.

_Picking up girls in an alternate reality… I guess it's better than nothing. I guess it's sort of like internet dating... hopefully they're actually girls._

After Kami discussed a few more of his thoughts about the mall to J, a girl wearing an odd blue headpiece with almost bunny-like ears walked past the pair and went straight towards the exit. Kami looked at J and asked, "Where do you think she's headed?"

"The school, probably…," J shrugged.

"The school…?" Kami looked confused for the fifteenth time during his short time in Paulownia Mall.

J raised an eyebrow and then came to a realization, "Oh yeah… you don't know. This area's dungeon is a school that turns into a massive tower… Unlike other areas, our dungeon is only accessible in the evening for players. When I mean evening, I mean in Japan."

_The hell?_

"A school that turns into a tower?" Kami looked even more confused. He continued. "What do you mean… this area?"

"You know this area is actually known as Port Tatsumi Island?" J tried to confirm with Kami by asking with more of a rhetorical tone.

"Yeah… that's what the introductory voice said," Kami nodded.

J cleared his throat and took a deep breath before starting, "Well… this area of **Second Life **contains Paulownia Mall, Iwatodai Station, the actual Port Tatsumi, the famous love hotels of Shirakawa Boulevard, and Gekkoukan High which turns in the dungeon called Tartarus. There are also dorms owned by Gekkoukan and apartments. There are shrines to pray just like you would in the real world to improve your luck in battle and possible relationships. There is also a transport to a beach in the South."

As J took a couple of deep breaths to recover from his explanation, Kami inquired, "That's a lot, but that can not be enough places for everyone who plays **Second Life**?"

J took one more deep breath before starting again, "I think your starting placement is random, but there are actually quite a few areas for people to mingle… all based on Japan." J smiled briefly, "It was because the developers were Japanese. However, everything is set in English only because it's the most commonly-used language."

"What other kind of dungeons?" Kami asked.

"There's a weird hospital for at some circular Tokyo… it's actually a beginner dungeon," J said, "The problem is there is this big stingray that keeps killing people when they try to finish the beginner dungeon."

_Stingray… A demon?_

J continued, "There is also a prison at that Tokyo." J said quickly, "There is also a historical Tokyo from a couple hundred years back that sends you into weird portals." He nervously adjusted his cap, "I'm glad I didn't get sent there…"

_Like the 1800s or something?_

The list continued, courtesy of Kami's tour guide, "There is a cursed museum that sends you to a zeppelin… or something." He smirked, "I think there is a casino there or something."

"That's a lot of dungeons…," Kami remarked.

"That's only a few…," J said. "Those are just the ones I could remember off the top of my head."

Kami nodded and bit his lip. He was sort of glad he was sent to this Paulownia Mall. He was not sure he would want to have been sent to a ruined Tokyo or some other place that J described. At least Paulownia Mall looked normal. He still wondered if all of those places were enough to hold everyone who played **Second Life**, but he knew J had not listed every area. Besides, he was not even sure how large Port Tatsumi Island was.

_I don't even know how many people are in this area, or what kind of melting pot exists here…_

Kami was actually unsure of what to do next. His first day, he was planning on exploring and J kind of took care of it for him. Kami might have only explored the mall, but it was only the first day... and the evening at that.

Kami took up the question on what to do next with J. After listening to Kami's inquiry, J said, "Let's head to Gekkoukan High and watch it transform."

_He doesn't plan on fighting, does he?_

J must have seen worry form on Kami's face and said, "Don't worry… I don't plan on fighting today… at least not with the rest of my party."

"Oh… okay…," Kami said. "You have a guild… or just a group?"

_I wonder if he could tell I was worried. I was able to show worry through the AIU… or did my voice express worry?_

"Actually… it's more like a housemate and two friends who know each in real life who I met here. We hang out every once in a while and a few days ago… we started that dungeon," the baseball-cap wearing young man clarified.

_They're actually planning on including me? Nice…_

The pair walked from a couple of meters from the club to the exit of Paulownia Mall. Kami kept his eyes moving the whole time as he watched the various people chatting with each other. As J reached the exit, he suddenly stopped and forced the newer member to the game to nearly fall over.

J turned around, "Oh… before I forget. Open up your menu and accept my party invitation."

_Open up the menu… okay…_

Kami struggled for a second, but focused on opening the menu. After he managed to open the white grid-like table menu, Kami scrolled to the Message tab which was flashing. There was an invitation from J Prince with an X and checkmark below. Kami instinctively raised his hand and hit the checkmark with his hand. He might have been able to accept the invitation with his mind, but using his hand seemed easier.

All of the sudden he could J Prince's health bar at the top, and for the first time… Kami noticed his own health bar. He probably never bothered looking for it because he was not planning on looking for a fight.

_It says level 7 above J. Does that mean J is level 7?_

After seeing that Kami had accepted his request, J motioned for the blue-haired young man to follow him. Kami followed him to the apparent exit, which looked more like an invisible wall. Two steps ahead of Kami, his fellow party member suddenly disappeared. Kami just took a deep breath and followed him through the invisible wall.

**Please choose your destination**

_Oh… I guess I this makes sense. Umm…_

From the list of choices, Kami tentatively chose the only one that had 'school' in its name.

* * *

_**Gekkoukan High School**_

A second later, Kami popped out in front of wrought iron gates. He gazed up and saw himself looking at a school that dwarfed the one he attended. The amount of stories in Gekkoukan was comparable to the amount to Kami's own school, but the length… just the expansive area that it covered made his temporary high school seem miniscule. To Kami's eyes, the school looked like it was almost made out of white stone. It was so pristine that it almost looked like it was made out of marble.

_I would not be surprised if there were multiple buildings. I bet their PE fields are much nicer, and they have an actual track and swimming pool. I bet their PE uniforms are not cheap shit either. Of course… this isn't even a real school. Damn… I miss my school in Tokyo._

Kami looked down and saw that the road below was not just simply paved like his own school, but instead was made of something similar to the long winding roads found in Rome back during the height of their empire… just nicer, straighter, and less dusty.

Kami was brought back from his observations by a light tap from J. The less experienced member of **Second Life** turned his head as the more experienced one said, "It's going to start soon…"

"What is going to start soon?" Kami asked.

"Just watch…," J told him as he pointed at the center of Gekkoukan.

Kami focused on the school as time seemed to suddenly stop. It was then Kami's eyes widened yet again as the picturesque school started to shift. The whole white building seemed to come together like a baker kneading dough. From that, a massive dark tower started forming. It was an apparently endlessly high tower with large misshapen areas jutting out; it was so tall that Kami could not even see the top as he looked up. Green light illuminated the tower, showing its blackness.

_This is our dungeon?_

"Welcome to Tartarus…," J hit Kami on the back. He smiled, "Sounds like toothpaste, right?"

_That hurt…_

"Tartarus…" Kami muttered. His voice became serious as he said, "That thing is huge."

J nodded, "Do you want to check out the lobby? There are no monsters there…"

Kami did not really want to really even do that, but… since J was offering.

"Alright…," Kami said with apprehension entering his voice.

Kami was a little slower in following J this time through the now-missing gates to the tower named Tartarus. Kami was correct in believing that the inside of the dungeon would be just as ominous as the outside. The two had only stepped into the lobby, but it was still one of the creepiest things the blue-haired young man had ever seen.

The floor of the lobby appeared to be made of linoleum, checkered black and white. There was a wide and long carpeted staircase that was illuminated in an eerie glow. The lobby was personified by the fact that at the top of the staircase, where people would enter the actual dungeon, was a giant golden clock with a door-shaped hole cut into it. It was only slightly foreboding.

_I don't know if I want to start fighting here…_

J turned to Kami and asked, "What do you think?"

"Impressive, yet… how do I put it… slightly ominous," he admitted.

Before the two could discuss Tartarus at length, a man with in a long brown coat, darker brown pants, and eyes that were replaced by what looked like an eye doctor's testing equipment. He was quite a scary sight, and he was being followed by a girl with a weird mix of white and red hair. She was wearing a just as weird mix of drab-colored clothes, fishnet pieces included.

The two were muttering to each other on how to proceed in a voice so soft that Kami could not hear.

The one with the weird eyes glanced at Kami, smirked, and then turned back to the girl with the multi-colored hair. The weird-eyed man then proceeded to whisper something to the girl before the two headed up the stairs. Kami saw a flash of some sort of steel weaponry come out of the brown-cloaked man before they disappeared.

"Scary, right?" Kami heard J from behind. "I think he's one of the ones who have advanced up the farthest in Tartarus…"

"This game hasn't been out that long… so how far do you think he gone up?" Kami asked.

The boy with blue hair did not expect an answer, so his tone was half-hearted. He didn't think J was that big into climbing the dungeon anyways.

_What do I know, really? Who am I to judge?_

J looked like he was thinking really hard. He finally answered, "Well… my group of four has climbed up to the fifth floor, but we stopped before taking on the first boss. We weren't slacking off either." J actually took off his cap and scratched his head, "I think that guy and that girl with the multi-colored hair… they have to be on floor 50, at least."

_Damn…_

"How many floors are there?" the slightly-shorter boy asked.

"I'm not actually sure, but I think it's over two-hundred," the taller one responded.

Kami just shook his head at the magnitude of the dungeon he had been thrown into.

_Maybe I would have been better in the 1800s Tokyo… nah… I think I'm better here._

Kami's thoughts were interrupted when J's health bar, which was lingering above of his head, suddenly disappeared. Kami guessed that his party had been disbanded by J.

J confirmed it and added, "Can you join tomorrow? I mean you're Japanese, right? I mean… if you were European you'd been in school and probably sleeping if you were from the Americas."

_I could be from somewhere else in Asia…_

"You're asking me where I'm from? Isn't that a little umm…?" Kami expressed. He shook it off and said, "Whatever… yeah sure… same time tomorrow?"

J responded, "Actually could you show up a little sooner tomorrow? I'm going to give you a little money and you can at least buy a weapon." J pulled up the menu and fiddled around with a few sub-menus before he said, "There… I think I gave you enough for something. It might not be enough for anything amazing, but it's not like I have a ton of money on me."

Kami had no way to reciprocate, so there was little he could do. His head bowed slightly as he said, "Thanks…"

J nodded, "No problem… it would look bad if I sent out a message to my party members that I'm bringing someone in and then let him get killed because he has no way of purchasing a weapon." The more experienced member pursed his lips, "I mean… usually a person gets some menial amount of money by working, refining, or something. They can use that to buy things like weapons if they want."

_I'm glad I get a shortcut… _

"Alright, so… I'll meet you in the Paulownia Mall tomorrow… okay?" J broke him out of the beginning of his thoughts.

_I don't know why… but that sounds a little creepy._

After J's sentence was finished, he seemed to disappear. He had logged out, leaving Kami alone in the illuminated lobby of Tartarus. He had no intention of staying there for an extended period of time, so the blue-haired young man headed as far away from the clock-like entrance of the dungeon as possible and out of what used to be Gekkoukan High School.

Kami moved towards the invisible barrier where he arrived not too long ago. He wanted to arrive at the same place tomorrow that he did today. So he selected **Paulownia Mall** when he passed the barrier.

Kami arrived at the bright-lit mall with a golden-looking floor that had a lot less people milling around than when he arrived. He was not sure if it was just because it was later, or more people were socializing.

_Well… it's not like everyone who plays this game is Japanese. I guess it's just because people are probably socializing._

Kami mentally pulled up the menu one more time and manually moved the screens until he reached the log out screen. He pressed the button and his first evening in **Second Life** ended.

* * *

_**2**__**nd**__** Floor of the Dojima Residence- May 28th: Late Evening**_

The once again silver-haired young man opened his eyes from within the AIU and slowly removed it. He expected the alternate reality of **Second Life** to be something where he could have freedom and a lot of control, but the immersion that it seemed to offer… he appeared to have only scratched the surface. He was extremely apprehensive about returning tomorrow to meet J and his apparent friends to go into the dungeon where he might get killed, with no adverse effects… except for possible item and monetary loss according to the game. At the same time, he was excited. He had not been able to satiate his curiosity with this one visit and even if he had to risk death fighting monsters, he would fight them to experience all **Second Life** had to offer. It was the reason he had purchased the AIU and **Second Life** in the first place; it was to experience excitement again.

The second-year looked down at his watch. He wondered how long he had actually been in the game, considering he had entered just before dinner. As he glanced down at his timepiece… it read 11:59 P.M.

_There's no way I spent that long there… I never even said goodnight to Nanako-chan… not to mention I know she left a plate of food out for me. _

"Oh well…," he muttered as he set the AIU on the couch.

He could get something to eat… leftovers from dinner, but his time in **Second Life **had actually made him extremely tired. It probably did not help that it was nearly tomorrow.

_I can always have her make me something tomorrow. I just hope she isn't going to a friend's or something. I'm just too lazy to make something myself._

It was not that he was extremely lazy. It was that Nanako always made breakfast for him and her father. She really treated him like her brother.

_Yosuke said something that if you're hungry or thirsty when you go into the game and you eat or drink something, you will feel satisfied. However, when you quit playing the game, your urge to eat or drink something will come back. I wonder if that works with other urges…_

The boy whose real name was Yu but preferred the name Souji left his hunger pangs behind him and changed into clothes more suitable for sleep. He did not want run the risk of running a bath while his cousin was sleeping; it had an odd quirk of being overly noisy… not to mention being next to her room. He would take a bath… or more likely… a shower tomorrow.

_Maybe it's the not bath being noisy… maybe it's me slipping and hitting my head on sharp objects. My cursing is pretty loud, but concussions warrant bad words._

After he changed, the young man shut the light, only to hit his shin on the table in the middle of the room before reaching his futon. He bit his lip to prevent him from saying the words he wanted to.

_So much for the moonlight giving enough illumination to keep me from looking like an idiot…_

When he finally lied down and his head touched the pillows of his futon, albeit with sharp pain in his right shin, it was with some excitement for the next time he would place the AIU on his head and explore the rest of **Second Life**.

* * *

**So… this is my attempt to give me a push to write something besides lesson plans for the last one, two, seven months. I'm leaving on vacation tomorrow, so it's a little rushed. Is it perfect? Obviously not…**

**I know the chapter was an exorbitant amount of talking and explanations, so yeah…**

**I can't have Gekkoukan turning into Tartarus at Midnight. It just is not feasible for players.**


End file.
